Christmas is a wonderful time of year for most people, but for others it can be a reminder of those we have lost – either those who have passed away, or those friends and perhaps even relatives who are alive but we just don’t see anymore.
We spend the holiday season being bombarded with TV adverts and messages about how important it is to spend time with our loved ones, but for some of us that might not be possible – or maybe that’s just how it seems.
If there is someone that was close to you that you wish to find again – especially with the Christmas season rapidly approaching – then our team at EJM Investigations may just be able to help.
Finding people yourself
One of the things we always pride ourselves on at EJM Investigations is making sure that we are open and honest about the services we offer, and making sure we don’t take advantage of anyone based on our expertise or their budget.
With that in mind, the first bit of advice we would have is to consider how you might be able to find this lost loved one yourself. And of course, in the modern era we have the helping hand of social media to potentially make that job easier – but only potentially.
You can, of course, search for someone by their name and you might get lucky. But there are some problems with this:
- They might have changed their name – either through marriage, or just because they wanted a fresh start
- They might have a common name, and it could be difficult to find them amongst the masses
- You might have even forgotten their surname, if it was a long time ago and you spent most of the time communicating in person. You hardly refer to someone by their full name in conversation, do you?
- You may have forgotten how to spell their name
That’s just a handful of the potential problems you could encounter when trying to find a person online, but there is some basic advice you should always follow.
Don’t assume they are on social media
Social media is huge – but not everyone is on there, and you may be setting yourself up for disappointment if you assume that you’ll find someone with a bit of persistence.
Particularly if it’s someone who you haven’t seen in a number of years, which implies that they (and you) are of a more mature generation. Older people are less likely to have a Facebook account, never mind things like Twitter, TikTok or even LinkedIn, if they didn’t grow up with them.
But even younger generations are also starting to give up on their social media for their mental health – in small numbers, true.
It’s just important to remember that you might not be able to find them this way. However, do try more than one social network, because there is a good chance someone may have decided to avoid a specific platform. Facebook for its ad targeting, Twitter with all the controversy over its ownership…no platform is loved by everyone.
Try combining any information you have
If you do want to try to find people on your own, combine all the information you have in your searches.
So, try searching by name and town, or name and school, or town and workplace.
There’s absolutely no guarantee that this will work, but it may help you to narrow down your options.
Use mutual connections
One of the best chances you have of finding a lost contact without professional help is to rely on any mutual connections you had with the person.
Just because you’ve lost touch with someone, that doesn’t mean your mutual friend has as well.
Don’t be afraid to ask, but at the same time remember to not pressure the middle person. Especially if the person you’re reaching out to is someone like an ex-partner, or a person that you had a falling out with.
It’s not fair to ask the mutual friend to do any more than pass on your contact details. They can’t try to win them around for you.
Turning to the experts
In all likelihood, if you have lost touch with someone and don’t know how to contact them, it’s not something you will be able to do yourself.
If you’re reading this article, chances are you’ve been trying already, and had no success.
That’s when you can turn to the professionals – like our team at EJM Investigations – rather than just giving up.
We treat these cases just like we would any missing persons one. We’ll work with you on a realistic budget, making sure you’re comfortable before we proceed.
And then, we’ll make use of our extensive resources and expertise to give you a much higher chance of success. It is never guaranteed, of course, but we are much more likely to find someone than you would be relying on social media alone.
We can:
- Start with an online search, going beyond the common social networks to looking through information registries and more
- Make enquiries locally, including door-knocking or speaking to past and potentially current employers
- Work on finding people who may be close to the person, and then contacting them
And so much more.
We will always take the most straightforward, efficient path which will vary each time depending on the specifics of your case. We won’t waste time or money.
Plus, this isn’t our first time, and we are fully aware that these cases can often be sensitive – especially if it is someone that you had a disagreement with in the past
But that’s why we’re professional – we aren’t just experts in how we find people, but we are tactful and delicate when we need to be to.
What to say
The last thing to think about is what you want to say to someone if they do get in touch with you.
Because we have to be clear – it wouldn’t be legal for us to give you the contact details of someone, unless they gave explicit permission. Otherwise, we can only give them your details, and let you know the results – and then it is up to them whether they contact you.
If they do, you need to be ready with what you want to say.
But our advice is not to overthink this. Especially at Christmas, people generally like to hear from old friends and family members, unless the separation was particularly acrimonious.
Hopefully, if you are looking to reconnect with someone, we can help make your Christmas one of the most magical possible.
If you do need help, get in touch on 01772 334700.